Health: Carbs Aren’t the Enemy You Think They Are

All you hear these days is “Keto this,” and “Keto That” and how if you want to lose weight you have to cut out carbs. The way people talk about carbohydrates, you’d think they were a four-letter word. There are good carbs, there are bad carbs and eat this instead of that. But how in the last 5-10 years have we gone from the food pyramid saying that carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread and cereals being 6-11 servings to now “never eat these foods”.

Why did all the blame on being overweight fall on carbohydrates? After all, these foods are typically heavier meals that should fill you up longer and give you more energy throughout the day, right? Isn’t that what carbohydrates do, break down into sugars your body can use for energy and sustainability throughout the day?

So why are these staples of a “balanced diet” all the sudden the health nut’s biggest enemy? Simple. Think of all your favorite foods that typically contain carbs. Pasta, cereal, pizza, and so much more have one thing in common, indulgence.

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When it comes to these foods they’re the biggest culprits for overindulging. Think of your average bowl of cereal. It’s not exactly the shining example of proper portioning. What’s the proper portion according to healthy standards? 3/4 of a cup with a half cup of milk, that’s it.

Then there’s the pizza. Who in their right mind can stop at one slice?

Pasta? Spaghetti’s proper portion is enough noodles roughly the diameter of a quarter.

That’s the real reason most people recommend cutting them out completely. They’re way too easy to overdo it.

So now we have to eat like baby birds to maintain a healthy weight, right? Wrong. Where most people are failing to maintain a healthy weight is back to what carbohydrates break down into, sugars. Sugars are the biggest culprit keeping people overweight and they’re the real overindulgence.

Soft drinks, energy drinks, and almost any other drink we consume are loaded with sugars. If not, they’re loaded with the artificial ones that are just as bad on empty nutrients.

You don’t have to cut out your morning cereal to drop hundreds of pounds, but maybe switch to Cheerios without adding sugar instead of Frosted Flakes. If you want to have a sub, try half a sub instead of a whole with water, not Diet Coke.

When you add up all the factors, it’s the sugar from carbohydrate-rich foods, on top of the sugar in beverages, on top sugars we don’t even know we’re getting that is making people overweight. You don’t have to go meat and cheese crazy just to lose weight. Cut out the fake energy and you can still enjoy the foods you love without pecking the smallest amount. Overindulging is your enemy, not the carbs themselves.